Chouquettes

If you are nervous about making pate a choux, be it éclairs, profiteroles, croquembouches, beignets, crullers, Paris Brest or St. Honore cake, try these Chouquettes first. They are quick, straightforward and will instil confidence for making the other more embellished pate a choux offerings.

Choux pastry typically contains only butter, water, salt, flour and eggs but having looked at a few recipes, some contain milk and a little sugar too.

I have adapted David Lebovitz’s recipe here, very slightly, by adding a little vanilla extract and adjusting the baking temperatures and timings. These morsels are wonderfully light and flavoursome. The sugar nibs give a lovely sweet crunch and can be purchased from specialists online. As an alternative you could always crunch up some white sugar cubes.

So what prompted me to make these? Firstly, I wanted to make a pate a choux as I am fascinated with the fact that such simple, everyday ingredients can ‘puff up’ in the oven and form such delicate, tasty treats. Secondly, I remembered how much my children enjoyed these when I used to buy them for an after school snack when we lived in the Middle East, where French-run bakeries are in abundance.

Now, I can bake these at home, they can continue to enjoy them. A word of warning, one (or even three) is never enough!…

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C, or Gas Mark 5. Prepare two baking trays by lining with baking parchment.

Place the water, butter, salt, sugar and vanilla into a medium saucepan and melt the butter over a moderate heat, continuously stirring. Once melted, remove from the heat and add all the flour in one go. Stir rigorously until the mixture becomes a paste and comes away from the pan. Return to the heat for about a minute and continue to stir.

Remove the paste from the heat and pour it into a freestanding mixer with a paddle attachment. Mix the paste further to ensure it is smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, whilst still mixing, ensuring that they are thoroughly incorporated.

Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle and pipe walnut-sized portions onto the first prepared tray. Alternatively, with two teaspoons, spoon the batter onto the prepared trays, pushing the paste from one spoon to another.

Mix together the egg yolk and milk and gently brush onto the batter. Sprinkle the sugar nibs over the dough and push down a little into the batter.

Turn the oven down to 180 degrees, or Gas Mark 4 and bake for 15-18 minutes until 'puffed up' and a golden, brown colour. Remove from the oven and immediately pierce each chouquette with a sharp knife to release the steam and to maintain their crispness.

Repeat the piping/spooning, brushing with egg wash and sugar sprinkling with the second tray and bake as before. I find it easier to bake one tray after the other with these, as opposed to both trays at the same time.

These are best eaten the same day, but they can be stored in an airtight container.

Hi Jo – I’ve wanted to make these…and David Lebovitz is the best! I made pate a choux for the first time last year and I’ve been thinking of trying eclairs (I made cream puffs and profiteroles last time). I have been curious about these chouquettes; they look gorgeous with those big sugar nibs. Yours came out perfectly!

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Welcome to The Contented Baker! Here you will find a collection of bakes from my family kitchen. Join me for my baking journey and see if anything inspires you to preheat the oven and grease the pan...